# If you're not going to be a "participating Arby's", would it hurt to put up a sign? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 7, 2005, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-not-going-to-be-a-participating-arbys-would-it-hurt-to-put-up-a-sign/283502 "2005-01-07T02:19:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-not-going-to-be-a-participating-arbys-would-it-hurt-to-put-up-a-sign/283502/1 "2005-01-07T02:19:31Z")
Rather than finding out only when, after waiting 5 minutes or so, the clerk took our order at the drive-thru. “Sorry, we don’t take those coupons.” By then, of course, there were cars behind us, as well as cars in front of us, and curbs trapping us in on either side. So we couldn’t even leave until the cars ahead of us did, which meant another 5 minutes of waiting for the privilege of departing the premises. OTOH, the Jr. Bacon Cheeseburgers we got at Wendy’s instead were delicious (and cheaper without a coupon than the Arby’s sandwiches were with the coupon), but a simple sign at the entrance to the Arby’s drive-thru (i.e. “We do not honor Arby’s coupons” or “This is NOT a participating Arby’s”) would have enabled us to head directly to Wendy’s, without the tedious wait. Similar signs on the doors to the dining area would also be advisable. That advice is for the franchisee. To Arby’s Corp., my request is: **require** that courtesy of your franchisees. If they’re not gonna take your coupons, make sure they let the customer know before he has to wait in line. That really doesn’t seem like too much to ask. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-not-going-to-be-a-participating-arbys-would-it-hurt-to-put-up-a-sign/283502/2 "2005-01-07T02:24:53Z")
I’d have sympathy for your plight, but I just can’t find it in my heart to feel too bad for you. It’s Arby’s, for Christ’s sake. You deserve what you get for wanting to eat that reconstituted dog food. ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-not-going-to-be-a-participating-arbys-would-it-hurt-to-put-up-a-sign/283502/3 "2005-01-07T02:25:22Z")
Your right, they should put up a sign. And so should Mitch Hedberg. > [@](#): > > **Mitch Hedberg** said: > I want to open a McDonald’s and not participate in anything. I want to be a stubborn McDonalds owner. They’ll say, “Cheeseburgers?” Nope… We got spaghetti! And blankets! We are not affiliated with that clown! He attracts too many children. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-not-going-to-be-a-participating-arbys-would-it-hurt-to-put-up-a-sign/283502/4 "2005-01-07T02:26:29Z")
Application of courtesy=intelligence coupled with caring. Therein the equation fails. Sorry, friend. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-not-going-to-be-a-participating-arbys-would-it-hurt-to-put-up-a-sign/283502/5 "2005-01-07T02:36:27Z")
> [@catsix](#): > > Your right, they should put up a sign. And so should Mitch Hedberg. It took a bit of time for him to grow on me, but that guy has become one of my favorite comedians. He’s great. ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-not-going-to-be-a-participating-arbys-would-it-hurt-to-put-up-a-sign/283502/6 "2005-01-07T02:50:01Z")
> [@Airman Doors](#): > > It’s Arby’s, for Christ’s sake. You deserve what you get for wanting to eat that reconstituted dog food. But… But… The pseudobeef is so tasty!!! ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-not-going-to-be-a-participating-arbys-would-it-hurt-to-put-up-a-sign/283502/7 "2005-01-07T03:24:58Z")
> [@Airman Doors](#): > > It’s Arby’s, for Christ’s sake. . Au contrare (sp) my friend. In my younger years, a beefy cheddar, alternating Arby’s sauce and Horsey sauce with a young lady…I mean, the young lady dining with me, not alternating sauces… Now that I know better, it is Mrs. Plant with steamed asparagus and hollandaise sauce. Oops. Again, dining with Mrs. Plant, not steaming her. But I will not be led into digression. Yeah, they should require all their restaurants to take their coupons. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-not-going-to-be-a-participating-arbys-would-it-hurt-to-put-up-a-sign/283502/8 "2005-01-07T11:31:05Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Yeah, they should require all their restaurants to take their coupons. Arby’s doesn’t offer coupons. Their franchises do. And typically, they are like these: [http://www.arbysrestaurants.com/print\_coupons.html](http://www.arbysrestaurants.com/print_coupons.html) ---
**Author:** ![furlibusea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@furlibusea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furlibusea)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-not-going-to-be-a-participating-arbys-would-it-hurt-to-put-up-a-sign/283502/9 "2005-01-07T11:45:26Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally Posted by Airman Doors, USAF > It’s Arby’s, for Christ’s sake. You deserve what you get for wanting to eat that reconstituted dog food. > [@](#): > > Originaly posted by **]Metacom** But… But… The pseudobeef is so tasty!!! I despise **Arby’s** roast beef, but love their new market sandwiches. The Bacon lettuce and tomato sandwich is my favorite. My husband likes the turkey swiss sandwich. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-not-going-to-be-a-participating-arbys-would-it-hurt-to-put-up-a-sign/283502/10 "2005-01-07T13:08:04Z")
> [@](#): > > Arby’s doesn’t offer coupons. Their franchises do. And typically, they are like these: [http://www.arbysrestaurants.com/print\_coupons.html](http://www.arbysrestaurants.com/print_coupons.html) I wonder who prints and pays for the coupons I see all the time in the coupon booklets I have sent to my home (in Cincinnati, they are called “Reach.”) and the Entertainment books… ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-not-going-to-be-a-participating-arbys-would-it-hurt-to-put-up-a-sign/283502/11 "2005-01-07T14:01:09Z")
> [@furlibusea](#): > > but love their new market sandwiches. I dare you to go look up the nutritional information on those Market Fresh Sandwiches. (I liked em too. Then I saw that. B-b-b-but, they _look_ so _healthy!_) ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-not-going-to-be-a-participating-arbys-would-it-hurt-to-put-up-a-sign/283502/12 "2005-01-07T14:14:57Z")
> [@NurseCarmen](#): > > I dare you to go look up the nutritional information on those Market Fresh Sandwiches. Wow. Just wow. The least-caloric (roast ham & swiss) has 700 calories and 31 grams of fat. The most-caloric (roast turkey, ranch, & bacon) has 820 calories and 38 grams of fat. The most fatty (ultimate BLT) has 46 grams of fat. For reference, a Big Mac has 560 calories and 30 grams of fat. 4 taco bell tacos have 680 calories and 40 grams of fat. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-not-going-to-be-a-participating-arbys-would-it-hurt-to-put-up-a-sign/283502/13 "2005-01-07T16:03:40Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > Arby’s doesn’t offer coupons. Their franchises do. And typically, they are like these: [http://www.arbysrestaurants.com/print\_coupons.html](http://www.arbysrestaurants.com/print_coupons.html) Well, I’d done my usual ‘clip the coupons, then throw away the rest of the ad flyer’ bit. But after digging the rest of the ad flyer out of the wastebasket, it does in fact list which Arby’s restaurants are the ‘participating’ ones. I’ve been using these coupons for years, and never noticed that before. But it seems to negate the whole point of being part of a _chain_. If each owner can do his/her own thing, it puts the burden on the consumer to keep track of which of a large number of lookalike restarurants are owned by which franchisee. The sign above the restaurant doesn’t say “Joe Doakes’ Arby’s”; it just says “Arby’s”. It deceives me into believing that an Arby’s is an Arby’s is an Arby’s. They’re free to be deceptive in this way, of course, but if they’re going to waste my time in this manner, I’m less likely to patronize their restaurants. ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-not-going-to-be-a-participating-arbys-would-it-hurt-to-put-up-a-sign/283502/14 "2005-01-07T16:09:01Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > They’re free to be deceptive in this way, of course, but if they’re going to waste my time in this manner, I’m less likely to patronize their restaurants. And thus we witness the US per-capita beef nose & prepuce consumption drop a nearly 2 thousandths of a percent. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-not-going-to-be-a-participating-arbys-would-it-hurt-to-put-up-a-sign/283502/15 "2005-01-07T17:25:00Z")
> [@Metacom](#): > > prepuce consumption What the hell is… Oh, no. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-not-going-to-be-a-participating-arbys-would-it-hurt-to-put-up-a-sign/283502/16 "2005-01-07T17:29:39Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Well, I’d done my usual ‘clip the coupons, then throw away the rest of the ad flyer’ bit. But after digging the rest of the ad flyer out of the wastebasket, it does in fact list which Arby’s restaurants are the ‘participating’ ones. > > I’ve been using these coupons for years, and never noticed that before. > > But it seems to negate the whole point of being part of a _chain_. If each owner can do his/her own thing, it puts the burden on the consumer to keep track of which of a large number of lookalike restarurants are owned by which franchisee. The sign above the restaurant doesn’t say “Joe Doakes’ Arby’s”; it just says “Arby’s”. It deceives me into believing that an Arby’s is an Arby’s is an Arby’s. They’re free to be deceptive in this way, of course, but if they’re going to waste my time in this manner, I’m less likely to patronize their restaurants. Sorry it bums you out, but that’s how franchises work. You buy the right to use the company name, logo, etc., and to avail yourself of its merchandise, advertising, and policies. In exchange, they get an up-front fee and (typically) a cut of your profits. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-not-going-to-be-a-participating-arbys-would-it-hurt-to-put-up-a-sign/283502/17 "2005-01-07T18:06:46Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > Sorry it bums you out, but that’s how franchises work. You buy the right to use the company name, logo, etc., and to avail yourself of its merchandise, advertising, and policies. In exchange, they get an up-front fee and (typically) a cut of your profits. Per your description, what’s bumming me out is that, in the case of Arby’s, they’re not working as intended. Use of company name and logo - fine with me. Common merchandise - ditto. Common advertising - ditto. Common policies - ditto. What franchisees pay the company - Somebody Else’s Problem. My gripe is the _departure_ from common advertising and policies. ---
**Author:** ![Zoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/6de8d8/32.png) [@Zoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoff)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-not-going-to-be-a-participating-arbys-would-it-hurt-to-put-up-a-sign/283502/18 "2005-01-07T18:45:45Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by RTFirefly_ > But it seems to negate the whole point of being part of a chain. If each owner can do his/her own thing, it puts the burden on the consumer to keep track of which of a large number of lookalike restarurants are owned by which franchisee. The sign above the restaurant doesn’t say “Joe Doakes’ Arby’s”; it just says “Arby’s”. It deceives me into believing that an Arby’s is an Arby’s is an Arby’s. They’re free to be deceptive in this way, of course, but if they’re going to waste my time in this manner, I’m less likely to patronize their restaurants. It’s not Arby’s fault. They can’t force their franchises to do certain things because it would be a potential violation of antitrust laws. Coupons is one area along with general pricing. Arby’s can’t tell all the franchises “you must charge $x.xx for a roast beef sandwich” or “you must accept these coupons.” It’s called retail price maintenance. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-not-going-to-be-a-participating-arbys-would-it-hurt-to-put-up-a-sign/283502/19 "2005-01-07T20:03:27Z")
> [@Metacom](#): > > Wow. > > Just wow. > > The least-caloric (roast ham & swiss) has 700 calories and 31 grams of fat. The most-caloric (roast turkey, ranch, & bacon) has 820 calories and 38 grams of fat. The most fatty (ultimate BLT) has 46 grams of fat. > > For reference, a Big Mac has 560 calories and 30 grams of fat. 4 taco bell tacos have 680 calories and 40 grams of fat. Not to digress too much, but I never saw the point of the Market Fresh sandwiches. They look too much like plain-ol’ sandwiches I could make at home (as opposed to the roast beef on the bun, something unique to Arby’s). ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-not-going-to-be-a-participating-arbys-would-it-hurt-to-put-up-a-sign/283502/20 "2005-01-07T20:14:56Z")
[Dr. Jack Kevorkian] Let’s see, Arbys or Der Wienerschnitzel Arbys or Der Wienerschnitzel . . . [/Dr. Jack Kevorkian] [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-not-going-to-be-a-participating-arbys-would-it-hurt-to-put-up-a-sign/283502.md?page=2)